


Magpie Salutes

by RueRambunctious



Category: Elementary (TV), His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Blind Character, Daemon Touching, Daemons, Other, Prostitution, Same-Sex Daemons, Sex Work, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-20 15:28:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13149546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RueRambunctious/pseuds/RueRambunctious
Summary: Jim Moriarty's daemon is a magpie named Sorrow. When his sister disappears with whispers of Irene Adler it might spell bad luck for those he enlists to hunt her.





	1. Chapter 1

Large dæmons, specifically predators, draw attention. Jim supposes this is logically also the case for dæmons who are not predators, but he's never met a human with an elephant dæmon so he cannot quite say for certain.

Jim takes interest in dæmons, and their people. He can tell a lot about a person by analysing their dæmon and a person he understands is a person he can manipulate.

People with large dæmons tend to be strong in either spirit or body, and on rare occasions, both.

Jim notices Kali and does not fail to take interest in her human. Kali is a tigress dæmon and commands respectful space from those with sense. Her human, Jim makes the effort to discover, is known as Sebastian Moran, a disgraced young colonel with enough deep scars to suggest the big brute has more fire in his blood than sense in his skull.

The former colonel is now a gun for hire, and supposedly a rather good one, despite the wound which makes one of his grey-blue eyes look whiter than it used to be. Sebastian Moran, Jim learns, likes to drink and gamble and fuck, and by hell, does this creature love to shoot things.

Kali is regal and ferocious with a graceful swing to her gait and deadly claws within her massive, daintily placed paws. She also mothers her restless, bloodthirsty human, not merely defending his life with all her monstrous fury, but also dragging the muscle-bound Sebastian Moran around by the ear when he fails to heed her wise instructions.

Jim cannot help but like Kali. She has a rich, booming voice with educated enunciation and an ever-present tone of unkind amusement. Jim is drawn to her human from the moment he lays eyes on the large man but it is not until later that Jim understands he _likes_ the former colonel too.

Sebastian Moran grew up in India, Jim learns. As the heir of a Lord (before a rather bitter estrangement) Sebastian was raised by servants who told him lore and local stories. The boy was fascinated from an early age by the unnaturally large tiger who stalked the outskirts of his father's lands. The fool boy almost got himself killed following the freak creature down a drain in a rainstorm and the night Kali obtained her new name and fixed shape Sebastian Moran received his worst scars.

Jim is rather fond of those scars.

He's also rather fond of the way Kali permits his own dæmon to perch on her broad skull. Jim is so intent upon admiring the pair that he almost misses an extraordinary sight.

Ginormous Sebastian and his striking tigress dæmon are an uncommon sight indeed, but the way Kali's hide prickles has Jim's dæmon in the air and narrowing down the culprit in a swift beat of wings. Sorrow is agile and as eagle-eyed as a magpie can reasonably be. She often helps spot for Sebastian these days. That supposed drop of the devil's blood under her tongue leaves her permanently hungry for the hunt and preferably a kill.

Sorrow sees Kou before any of them. Following the attention of the dæmons Sebastian Moran is mildly startled by the presence of another big cat dæmon.

A male dæmon. With a male human.

This is unusual, although not entirely unheard of.

“That's our mark,” Jim declares, and pushes away from the wall. He saunters off towards the odd pair knowing Sebastian and their dæmons will naturally follow.

Kali runs down and circles the other cat dæmon and his human. She is mildly surprised that Kou shows her no fear. Instead he approaches her curiously, confidence in his lope and something not quite friendly in the wrinkling of his soft nose.

Like Kali, Kou is unusually large both for his species and for dæmons in general. Unlike Sebastian, Kou's human is slender and whiplike.

Kou pushes his nose into Kali without preamble. She roars in shock but it is Jim who flies to her furious defense before Sebastian Moran. Kali may be Sebastian's dæmon, but Jim is possessive, and he has long since claimed them both.

“Touch her again and I'll skin you both,” Jim hisses.

The human rolls his eyes. “Touchy, aren't you?” He stretches nonchalantly.

“You know who I am,” Jim growls.

“And you know who _I_ am,” the younger man snaps back, “so you must know I'm of little use to you.”

“That's not strictly true,” Jim declares. He draws out his lilting voice, threat in its playfulness.

“I'm a pornographer,” the young man sighs. “What could you possibly want with me?”

“Bait,” Jim smiles bluntly. “Now, are you going to come along like a good little boy, Jared?”

“Ge-rard,” the young man corrects tightly. His dæmon paces at his side.

Jim waves his hand dismissively. “Jared Wanksmith: _clearly_ you don't care about sounding ridiculous so let's not inflict that version of your name on my cultured ears.”

Gerard Wanksmith rolls his eyes. “My time is money, Moriarty.”

“He can afford you,” Kali says sourly.

Gerard tilts his head at her human. “Do you speak, or are you just for aesthetic?”

“I'm multitalented,” the former colonel drawls.

“If you ever fancy a career change those lips'll get you an audition,” Gerard smirks.

“Down, boy,” Kali warns.

Kou circles her and bares his teeth. He has the affront to be amused.

“If I blind you you'll be a sight less capable at your usual occupation,” Jim warns.

Gerard sweeps out his thin arms in a lackadaisical shrug. “I can dictate.”

“Not if we take your tongue,” Sebastian says.

Gerard laughs. “I wouldn't want to force you to fall in love with me.”

Sebastian glowers. Kali bares her large teeth looking somewhere between bored and incensed. Sorrow rests on her shoulder poised to peck out eyes upon Jim's whim.

Jim merely spins on his heel and snaps his fingers. “Come along, Jared.”

“If I'm a good boy can I play with your boy toy as a bonus?” Gerard asks brightly.

“He will let me tear out your eyes,” Sorrow warns happily.

Gerard snorts and tilts his chin pointedly in Sebastian's direction. “Given the state of his face I'd say you use that as foreplay.”

Kali growls open-lipped.

Gerard laughs calmly and pets his dæmon Kou. “Touchy subject?”

“You're not at all curious whose bait you are for?” Jim purrs.

Gerard Wanksmith's pale green eyes glitter in amusement. “Oh, I have heard about the antics of your sister.”


	2. Chapter 2

For all this has technically been a kidnapping, the pornographer _Jared_ Wanksmith carries himself as though quite at home in the rooms his new 'companions' have him holed up in. He takes up far too much physical space despite being relatively small for a man (although Sebastian considers most men small, to be fair) and dances lazily around said space as though intoxicated upon himself.

Sebastian hates him already.

Stupid, skinny, vain little psycho _runt_.

From his side Kali turns her fat head and surveys her human wryly. “I thought that was your type?”

Sebastian narrows his eyes at her.

She chuckles as though she has scored a point and turns away. She rests her large head on her large paws and melts into the carpet.

“You can't stand his dæmon,” Sebastian points out sulkily.

Kali does not bother to open her eyes. “The little brat is altogether too familiar. You saw him _touch_ me.”

“I felt it too,” Sebastian agrees. He rolls his shoulders as he suppresses a shiver. What sort of _psychopath_ went around touching a stranger's dæmon?

Jared is small but muscular, like a gymnast or indeed a wild cat. He observes the world through lazy, half-lidded eyes as though not remotely disturbed by his situation and flows his arms through the space in airy movements as he spins in slow, fluid circles. Sebastian presumes the idiot is responding to a song in his head, but it is unclear. He may just be eccentric, or certifiably odd.

Jared hums to himself and abruptly throws himself towards his dæmon, vaulting over Kou skillfully. The big cat twists and flips at once, grasping for her human with powerful paws.

Sebastian grimaces and Kali cracks open an eye towards her human as the peculiar pair tussle. The behaviour might be excused in children but the display is far from charming when from young adults.

Kou pretends to maul his human, leaving dark pink marks on pale skin that are easily visible to Kali from across the room. Jared responds with a noise of amusement, pushing at Kou's broad nose and tugging the large head aside by a furred ear.

It is not proper.

“Enough!” Kali roars.

The pair look up at her without the sense to seem cowed. Kou licks his human with a rough, warm tongue. “You insist on altering our schedule and now you want to protest how we pass our stolen time too?”

Kali bares her teeth. Her gums are pink and shining around rows of gleaming danger.

Kou yawns in pointed boredom.

“Children, please.”

The others look around as Jim walks into the room with Sorrow perched upon his narrow shoulder.

Jared leans casually against his dæmon's broad, warm side. Kou's fur is warm and flat beneath the young man's fingers. “I do hope you've come up with some form of entertainment for us, M.”

“I could feed you to Kali if you would like,” Jim says shortly.

Jared rolls his eyes without feigning bravery. He genuinely seems nonplussed. “Never worked in snuff flicks. I suppose you'd know the market for it.”

“Did you remember what I said about my dæmon's taste for eyes?” Jim warns coolly.

“Do you think I mix in the circles I do because I'm happy with my life?” Jared says with a suddenly blunt crispness that jarringly brings his youthful demeanour skyrocketing back to an adult manner. He rubs his face absently. “Physical threats lost all meaning a while ago.”

Jim curls his lips. “Oh, I'm certain Sebastian shall have fun with that.”

Jared arches a brow. “Do what you like. If you must leave scars make them interesting ones: I'm sold on my quirks after all.”

“Oh aren't you so _edgy_ ,” Sebastian scoffs.

Jared reaches for his buttons. “You're the one who gets off on pain, Cyclops.”

Kali gives Sorrow and Jim a pointed look that makes clear her desire to take a claws out swipe at the young man.

“Later,” says Sorrow.

“Tease,” Jared mocks. He pushes away from the comforting bulk of his dæmon and examines his surroundings absently.

“Are we boring you?” Sebastian snaps.

Jared shrugs and gently picks up different items in their environment curiously. “There's generally at least a buffet between scenes.”

Jim abruptly snaps his fingers and Sorrow flies towards Kou, taking a small chunk of his flesh in her beak. He roars as she pulls, but the others are quite startled when he snaps his jaws around the air near her feathers as though quite capable of swallowing her.

“Have you quite forgotten where you are?” Kali demands.

Jared sighs, wanders back to his dæmon, and affectionately licks Kou's bleeding wound. It makes Kali uncomfortable.

“If you wanted someone with social graces,” Jared responds unsympathetically, “you should have gone for someone else.”

“You can blame my sister for bewilderingly deciding there was a reason to mix with _you_ ,” Jim responds.

Jared sneers. “Your sister's only interested in Irene, and her going after the Ravenmaster was hardly our idea. I'm a pawn and you know it.”

“Rather mouthy for a pawn,” Jim observes. He pretends he is not alarmed by the mention of the Tower of London's Ravenmaster but his companions feel it by familiarity or instinct.

“You're welcome to put something else in my mouth if it puts you at ease,” Jared shrugs.

Jim stares at him. By his side, Sebastian has shifted his weight irritably and Kali swishes her tail in displeasure.

Jared rolls his eyes and flops onto Kou's spine, petting absently at the red wound on his dæmon's side as though it's hardly anything. “Oh, relax,” he scoffs. “Your sister's far more entertaining.”

“You know where she is?” Jim asks.

Jared turns and looks at the man. “I've got a rough idea,” he says honestly, “but I don't think it will help you much.”

“You're not paid to think,” Jim points out.

Jared arches a brow. “Oh, I'm being paid for this gig, am I? Because in that case you could start treating me like I'm not your fucking _possession_.”

Jim curls his lip. “Isn't that what boys like you are into?”

Jared stares hard and the brunet then chuckles. “You're not even close, mate.”

“Not your mate,” Jim says crisply. “I might, however, be of benefit to you if you see fit to behave yourself.”

“Obey the creepy don; got it,” Jared mutters.

“How has no one knocked those teeth down your throat yet?” Jim asks sweetly.

Jared rolls his eyes. “You're not reading the right rags if you don't know how many managers have tried.”

Jim narrows his eyes. “You'll find I am rather adept at _managing_.”

“So's your sister,” Jared says calmly. “That's why she's halfway around the world with my business partner, and you're here picking on me.”


	3. Chapter 3

Irene Adler had once wanted her dæmon to be a small monkey. She had seen a pointillist painting in an art gallery of old-fashioned men and women enjoying a sunny day in a park. One corseted woman had a parasol and a dainty monkey on a leash as she took a stroll with a male companion.

Much later Irene learned such dæmons typically belonged to prostitutes during that time period. The irony is not lost on her.

Her own dæmon, Sable, is one of those perky-looking little fluffballs hiding a tiny, pointed face in an enormous, puffy ruff. He has a fluffy, curly tail and bites to draw blood.

He is far from a lapdog despite all appearances. He is snippy and calculating and even large dæmons learn to be respectful to him.

Sable is currently belly-up making the most of Jamie Moriarty's rarely indulgent attention. She is a woman with shallow charm and deep thoughts, more prone to plotting than pandering. That she trusts Irene and Sable enough to find that petting the small dæmon helps her think is not remarked upon by any of them. They all know what it means, and none of them are so uncouth as to mention it.

Sable gives a huff of disturbed contentment. His human Irene is displeased with Jamie, and whilst they all know it, he would rather not waste time talking when Jamie's clever fingers are soothing him greatly. He's rather certain the blonde is simply trying to calm him to manipulate Irene, but he does not especially care. The women are always playing games with each other.

Jamie's dæmon, Silk, pays no mind to them even when Sable lets out a whimper. He considers business instead. Silk has as little time for frivolities as Jamie usually does.

Irene has little patience with any of them at this moment, but Sable is finding her displeasure difficult to truly ignore. Jamie and Silk are well practised in it.

“We shouldn't have left him behind,” Irene fusses. Her teeth worry her painted lip but the redness does not stain them.

Jamie glances up at her. Her cool blue eyes are annoyed. Her own lips pucker with the emotion as she once again takes a deep breath to impatiently repeat, “Jared has a job to do.”

“Jared is no match for your brother,” Irene argues.

Jamie takes another deep breath. Pointedly. “Lucky I am more than sufficient then.”

Irene closes her mouth but her carefully made up eyes speak of worry still.

Jamie looks down and scratches Sable's stomach. “Must she always be this difficult?”

Sable rolls his beady eyes. “You're the one who chooses to bed her. I wasn't given such autonomy.”

That's a joke in itself. Jared Wanksmith and his striking dæmon Kou are known for their rather unusual repertoire, but Irene and Sable are an act in themselves. Sable can separate himself from Irene much further than the ordinary dæmon can from their human.

“I always found witches fascinating,” Jamie sighs.

“Witches have rules,” Silk says dryly.

“And so do we,” Jamie sniffs, pointedly raising her pretty, snubbed nose. “Which is why we all ought _follow our plan_ and stop fussing less we sabotage it.”

“It's not _my_ plan,” Irene snaps. “Jared-”

“Yes, yes, you've said a _thousand_ times,” Jamie dismisses, “he's no match for my brother. And _I_ have told _you_ that this is accounted for.”

Irene's nostrils flare. Sable sighs and rolls onto his side as his human says, “Yes, and _your plan_ leaves plenty of opportunity for him to get hurt! Jared did not sign up for this he-”

“You signed up for this,” Jamie says shortly. “Now cease fussing. You're getting on my nerves.”

“Never mind your nerves,” Irene rebuffs. “Jared is young and inexperienced-”

“ _Jared Wanksmith_ is used to all manners of situations normal people are not accustomed to and he will adapt just fine to a bit of rough handling,” Jamie says unsympathetically.

“Jared is a _pornographer_ , not a pro sub!” Irene argues.

“Jared is a deviant far removed from polite society,” Jamie answers. “You have little reason to take such offense on his behalf.”

“ _Jared is my friend_ ,” Irene snaps.

Jamie raises a brow. “Were he truly, you wouldn't have let us go ahead.”

“I told you not to!” Irene points out irately.

“Yes, but you didn't stop me,” Jamie reasons. “Ergo, you don't _really_ care. You're posturing to assuage your guilty temper.”

Twin spots of pink appear beneath Irene's carefully applied make up. “I am arguing because I am worried about him.”

“Then don't,” Jamie says shortly.

“Have you forgotten what your brother did to the _love_ of his _life_?” Irene asks agitatedly.

Jamie's lips curl. “Is that what you're worried about? Being caught?”

Irene grits her teeth in naked irritation.

“Trust me, Adler, what my brother will do to us if we are caught will make his _blinding_ Sebby seem like he was whispering sweet nothings,” Jamie says. “So we. Don't. Get. Caught. And _that_ means we cannot go changing any of our plans simply because _you_ have had a belated attack of conscience!” 

Irene tilts her chin upwards looking upset. “What if he tells them? Jared knows-”

“It doesn't matter a _damned_ thing what Jared knows,” Jamie says sharply. Her eyes glint in suggestion that Irene would be wise to quell her protests. “He is not important. He does not know anything that my brother can piece our plan together with, _regardless_ of how much pressure Jim sees fit to exert on him or how much duress Seb puts him under. Put. Jared. Out. Of. Your. Mind.”

Irene crosses the room, picks up Sable, and trots towards the door. “Jared knows about the Raven Master, clever girl.”

Sable swallows and lifts his head to give his human a dryly chiding look. Jamie looks at them both sharply and rises to her feet with every intention of giving Irene more than a mere piece of her mind.

Silk's voice cuts through the tension. “This is hardly surprising news. It also does not affect our current situation. Let us merely hope for your sakes that Jared _doesn't_ know anything else.”


End file.
